A Wonderful Masterpiece

Have you ever had that feeling of complete disgust with yourself? You are frustrated that you keep making the same mistakes over and over again. Deep down you want to do right but the same issues keep resurfacing. You tell yourself that you are going to be a better person. You are going to love more, forgive more. You're going to stop talking about people. You are going to pray more. You are going to read the bible more. And on that very day you make these declarations your very world gets turned upside down. Now what affects me may not affect you. But let me give you some examples - You find out you are losing your job. You find out that your closest friend has betrayed you. Your spouse tells you that she/he doesn't love you anymore. You don't get that promotion. Your child gets kicked out of school. The test results from the doctor are not positive. Those are just a few things that come to mind. But it could be a simple as getting caught in traffic, missing breakfast, snagging your pantyhose. How do you react? It's not so easy to say "What would Jesus do? How would He handle this?" Or is it?

We all have areas that we need to work on and just as soon as we determine to do better here comes Satan throwing everything at us to discourage us. But did you know that you are in the process of becoming a wonderful masterpiece. As a child of God you are in His hands. Read Jeremiah 18:1-10. When I was in the fifth grade we made clay pots and I remember sitting there wanting to make the most beautiful flower pot for my mother. Unfortunately that never happened. Just like the potter in these verses I considered my pot to be damaged and therefore useless so I threw it in the trash.

But as a child of God you belong to the Master Potter and He knows that you have defects, that you are full of holes, bumps and bruises. You will have moments of weakness when you may not feel like doing what is right. You will struggle with your prayer life. You may not read the bible everyday. My challenge to you today is that during those times when you are frustrated with yourself remember that the Master Potter has the power to reshape you and make you into that beautiful flower pot. All you have to do is ask Him. Confess your shortcomings and give them over to Him. I often times wonder what it would be like if our first reaction was to consult God how much better would we be.

Dear Lord,

Thank you today for holding me in the palm of your hand and not giving up on me. I admit my frustrations, that I am weak and still have a battle with my flesh in the area of ___________. I don't always want to do what is right. Right now I give my imperfections over to you. Shape me and mold me into the person you want me to me. I recognize that even as I pray this prayer Satan is going to come up against me. He doesn't want me to rely totally on you. But I yield to you anyway. On this day I give _______________ (name your weakness - be specific) over to you. Thank you for replacing it with a characteristic that is more like you. In Jesus' Name Amen.